NIKKI Pelley, the woman Joe O’Reilly was having an affair with when he murdered his wife Rachel, took the dead woman’s children to visit Joe in prison yesterday.

The 38-year-old advertising executive brought the six and eight-year-old boys to visit O’Reilly in the Midlands Prison.

They were accompanied by Joe’s mother, Ann, on a 45-minute visit to the jail where he is serving life for the brutal murder of his wife.

The beautiful young mother was murdered in her Naul home nearly four years ago.

Ms Pelley’s apparent closeness to the boys is “astonishing” according to a source close to the late Rachel.

“This is the ultimate insult for a mother who doted and loved her two children,” said the source.

“How can Rachel be allowed rest in peace when this woman is now enjoying the company and companionship of her two boys, while she lies in her cold grave.

“Nikki Pelley is a brazen, brazen woman,” the source added.

Ms Pelley also enjoys a very close relationship with Joe O'Reilly's mother Ann, who also visited her son at the Midland's Prison yesterday.

She drove the children and their grandmother to prison and appeared extremely at ease with them as she accompanied them inside to see their father.

Around 2.05pm, she breezed through the gates with Joe’s eldest son by her side.

The younger boy was brought in by his grandmother.

They entered the visiting area at 2.55pm and remained inside the prison until shortly before 4.30pm.

It is understood that Ms Pelly, Mrs O'Reilly and the boys had separate 45 minute visits.

According to a witness: “It looked like such an ordinary scene that you'd never think it was a mistress, not a mother, with the boys. It was mind-boggling to see.”

Another onlooker added: “Here was a woman visiting a convicted wife killer and she had the dead woman's children with her.

“It was an amazing scene. It was gobsmacking.”

O'Reilly and Nikki Pelley began a secret affair six months before Rachel's horrific murder at the couple's home in The Naul, in October 2004.

During the 20-day trial at the Central Criminal Court last summer, O'Reilly denied any involvement in the murder.

However, details of crude emails sent by O'Reilly revealed how he talked about his “lazy c***” of a wife and how his greatest fear was becoming “Mr Weekend Custody” when he left her for Nikki.

Trauma

Rachel died due to blunt-force trauma to the head, inhalation of blood, skull fracture and brain contusion.

Sources say that Ms Pelley and O'Reilly are still “madly in love”.

She visits him in prison several times a month and they phone each other frequently.

Both are convinced that O'Reilly’s appeal, due to be heard just before Christmas, will give him his freedom.

“They have remained totally committed to each other and she has never questioned his innocence,” the source added.

“She remains totally besotted with him and is convinced they have a future together.”

Rachel's family - including her parents Rose and Jimmy Callaly - remain confident that Joe O’Reilly will be behind bars for life.

Neither were available to comment on the latest turn of events today.

- Kevin Doyle